Brenda Fricker as Bridget Fagan-Brown in My Left Foot

Best Supporting Actress at the 62nd Annual Oscars (1989)

Notable Quote:

“If I could give you my legs, I'd gladly take yours.”

Synopsis:

Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis) is born with cerebral palsy and with the help of his mother (Brenda Fricker) and teacher/crush (Fiona Shaw) becomes a successful writer and his artist, completing his work with his titular left foot.

The character:

I’m skeptical of Hollywood portrayals of saintly, ever-patient moms: it’s a harmful trope that sets up unreasonable expectations, and it also leads to boring, static characters. But dammit if I don’t love the perfect Bridget Fagan-Brown, supermom extraordinaire. First of all, she had TWENTY-TWO children, which is insane, I currently take care of six houseplants and that’s overwhelming. She cooks for her entire family on a shoestring budget (even if that sometimes means porridge for breakfast and for dinner), she hauls Christy’s ass up the stair while she’s nine months pregnant, and later builds him a straight-up guest house in the backyard! Seriously, see it and weep, mommy bloggers.

One trait that does complicate Bridget’s character is her secret melancholy streak. Of course she worries about Christy, but it’s not just that he’ll experience bad things: she specifically says she’s scared because he sounds hopeful, and she’s worried that he’ll be heartbroken by the world. It’s a lyrical sentiment, one that suggests that Christy’s creative leanings might be inherited from his mother. But it’s also a sentiment that exposes some of Bridget’s struggles: the ways that she’s kept herself small and inured herself to the hardness of life, in order to protect herself.

The performance:

While working on this column, I’ve come to appreciate performances that are solidly strong: they may not be showboat-y, or particularly eye-catching, but these performances often provide the backbone of the film. Brenda Fricker’s portrayal of Bridget is a perfect example of this: she’s got a soft voice, and hushed presence, but she doesn’t disappear. In fact, her relationship with Christy is at the emotional core of the film. I love that she expresses her love for him through physical sacrifices and caring gestures, rather than giving us a corny, inspirational monologue.

Because she’s not a scene stealer, Fricker has to communicate a lot of her character without saying much, and she does this very effectively. She exudes maternal energy, especially during scenes of conflict, where she clearly demonstrates a huge capacity for empathy. It’s also clear that Bridget is tired, and beat down, but not hopeless. Overall, it’s an exquisite performance.

The movie:

Initially, My Left Foot is a story that evokes many tropes of Irish coming of age tales: there’s poverty, Catholicism, and a whole lot of drinking. But this movie puts a fun twist on the Angela’s Ashes of it all, because it’s delightfully non-traumatizing! Going into the film, I was anticipating the many ways that Christy would be mistreated by those around him, but for the most part, he’s well-liked and appreciated! Of course it’s not all rosy, but this is not ultimately a story of trauma. Writing this column has given me an appreciation for the distinction between films that hold their characters in contempt (cough, Three Billboards) and those that have great empathy towards their characters, and this is very much the latter. Christy’s alcoholic father could have been an abusive baddie, but he’s treated with a lot of compassion, even as we see his major faults. It’s a lovely film.

Was the Oscar deserved?

Yes, Fricker does excellent work.